Mister Big Ben VAL DI LANDRO (ITALY), 2005   Even before I had opened the route this was the first name that sprang to mind ...my latest project in the cave of Val di Landro. It reminds me of the Big Ben route opened by P. Berhault in the cave above Montecarlo. It’s a route that crosses the archway of the cave starting from one side and finishing on the descent on the other side.   At the beginning of January, I returned to the cave where I opened the "La via è bella" M11 route (The Route is beautiful) to see if it was possible to repeat it without using spurs. After a first climb to review the movements and put in some pitons that had come out during the past winter, I set off and successfully made it to the belay! I was wearing an ordinary pair of old "Super Fly La Sportiva" trainers with a simple monospike screwed to the sole... and nothing else. Nothing for rests, no hooks with ice axes, only a change of hands on the ice axes ...Severe ethics but sportsmanlike nonetheless. Different... boy is it different without spurs! I really had to hold on tight to those ice axe handles! Where can I find another route with a better overhang? A magical moment! A shake of my head... and the few brain cells I have left come up with the brilliant idea of uniting "La via è bella" with the new Astner/Haiz M10+ that starts at the other end of the cave and ends at the same belay as mine does. Some reconnaissance to check out the movements of the new route which I had to descend, not climb, and the next day, with unstable weather conditions, I managed to nail that fantastic 180° route. A perfect line that starts on a column, crosses the horizontal vault of iced cracks and finishes with a 40-metre candle. Proposed level: M12! A great trip... you have to try it to believe it!   Bubu
				Game over (Innsbruck)       Bats with ice axes and crampons       Grotta Caterina (Trieste, Italy)       Laghel (Arco, Italy)       Arco 2004 (Italy)       Cineplex (Canada)       Ueshinen (Switzerland)       Musica e magia       La via è bella       Fly in the wind       Mission impossible
				Photos by Fabio Dandri